Sony Xperia Z3 announced, pushing its flagship model to the next level

Sony has been comning out strong in terms of smart phones and the new Sony Xperia Z3 is a reinforcement of what they do best. Apart from having the best waterproof smart phone in the business, Sony has also made some drastic as well as minor tweaks to offer a more wow experience from its current Xperia Z2 smart phone.

While the Xperia Z2 is very much identical with the previous Xperia Z1, the new Xperia Z3 is totally refreshed but yet it has some sense of familiarity in the hands. Gone is its boxy flat pack box appearance as Sony has acquired a new taste for rounded edges and corners. The button placements including its iconic power button remains unchanged on their latest flagship

In terms of hardware, the Xperia Z3 sounds like a minor upgrade as it retains the similar sized 5.2″ IPS Full HD display (1920×1080) and it runs on a more updated 2.5GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 801 processor that’s mated to 3GB of RAM. Like its predecessor, the Xperia Z3 gets the same 16GB of on-board storage which can be expanded with microSD. The main camera is the same 20.7MP 1/2.3″ unit while selfies are handled by its front facing 2.2MP camera. In terms of battery, it gets a non-removable 3,100mAh capacity unit.

Before you frown on its spec sheets, the Xperia Z3 is actually has a couple of major upgrades that offers heaps of improvement. For starters, its water and dust resistance has been bumped up to IP65/68, which is the the highest rating for a smart phone. This is the same rating with its recently announced Xperia M2 Aqua.

For the camera, the G-Lens now uses a 25mm wide angle lens. Meanwhile, its low-light capability claims to be vastly improved with an ultra sensitive ISO 12800, the highest for a smart phone. To eliminate shakes, Sony had earlier introduced SteadyShot on the Xperia Z2 and now they took it a step further with its new SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode. In terms of display, Sony says that it has improved its X-Reality technology and the display can now adapt with greater management down to the pixel level.

With power users being the main users for their flagship models, Sony understands the importance of battery life. Despite being 100mAh less in capacity, the Xperia Z3 is tweaked to give up to 2 full days of use. The Xperia Z3 also retains the front facing speakers, and this time the speaker grills are moved closer towards the display.

Even with its improved design and uprated specs, the new Sony Xperia Z3 manages to get even thinner at 7.3mm and it weighs just 152 grams. As comparison, the Xperia Z2 is 8.2mm thick and weighs 163 grams. Instead of cracking up on the hardware fest, Sony seems to know where to make changes that would deliver the most impact for user experience. Also to make the Xperia Z3 stand out is their refreshed colour options where you can get it in Black, White, Copper and Green.

For more information, head over to Sony Xperia Z3 product page.

Sony Xperia Z3 Promo Videos

Sony Xperia Z3 Hands-on Gallery